


life, love, and lattes

by thishasbeencary



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Business, CEO, Dogs used (successfully) as means of flirting, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-11 17:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15977360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thishasbeencary/pseuds/thishasbeencary
Summary: Viktor Nikiforov is the CEO of Nikiforov Co., one of the top people in business for years now. Yuuri Katsuki is an engineering grad student who works at a coffee shop in his free time, the son of billionaires Toshiya and Hiroko Katuski.They meet when Viktor's dog nearly knocks Yuuri over in the park in the excitement to pounce on Yuuri's own dog. They quickly get along and start to spend more time together and text each other pictures of their dogs.They might not realize quite everything about each other, though.[Yuuri doesn't realize Viktor is a CEO and Viktor doesn't realize that Yuuri is anything more than a coffee shop employee.]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [endlesscloudsoftime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlesscloudsoftime/gifts).



> this was written for the viktuuri summer loving gift exchange 2018. <3 
> 
> the prompt was: pining viktor (genius corporate tycoon) over coffee shop employee yuuri who is a billionaire's son but doesn't advertise it. neither know who the other is
> 
> i hope you enjoy <3

“Makkachin, wait!” was all of the warning that Yuuri got before Vicchan completely disappeared, his place taken by a much larger poodle. He had to blink a few times to understand that his dog had been tackled to the ground, getting licked all over by the bigger dog, who must be Makkachin.

Makkachin’s owner came running forward, the leash in his hand, and Yuuri laughed when he realized what had happened. “I’m so sorry.” Makkachin’s owner paused to take a breath, looking over to Yuuri. “I was taking her on a walk, but she got away from me before I got the leash on. Makkachin, come here!” he shouted, and the dog’s head snapped up, wandering over to him. He snapped the leash onto her collar.

Yuuri leaned down to pick up Vicchan to make sure that he was okay, but it turned out to be a useless worry. His tail was wagging excitedly, and he barked and licked Yuuri’s face as soon as he was picked up, wriggling and trying to get back to the ground. Yuuri set him down and he rushed Makkachin, circling around her legs. Yuuri laughed, looking up at the man.

Finally being able to see him without the worry of his dog being crushed under the bigger poodle, Yuuri froze for a moment. The man was like a piece of modern art. He was wearing a business suit still, but he must have left the jacket in his office or his car, because it was just a perfectly fitting, crisp white shirt and tie. Yuuri _knew_ that outfit was far too expensive to be worn to walk a dog in the park, but this man pulled it off. His unique silvery hair hung in front of his face to cover startling blue eyes, adding to the unreal image of the man.

It was probably better that Yuuri could see only one, because he didn’t know if he would survive under the gaze of both of them. He stood up straighter, hoping that he hadn’t been staring for as long as it felt like he had, smiling up at the man. “You’re fine. Vicchan looks like he couldn’t be happier that she knocked into him,” Yuuri laughed, extending a hand to Makkachin’s owner. “My name is Yuuri.”

“Viktor,” he answered, shaking Yuuri’s hand. “I’m glad Makkachin did this to a friendly dog. She is a sweetheart, but she doesn’t realize that she’s so much bigger than most of the dogs that she wants to play with.” He laughed, leaning down to scratch at his dog’s ears. She barked happily, turning to him and licking all the way up his face.

He shook his head, seeming to expect just that. “Vicchan likes to play, he doesn’t meet many other dogs. I can only really come to the park when it’s really crowded or a really weird time, and I don’t like to bring him when it’s crowded, since we never know who’ll be here.”

“That makes sense. I’ve got the same with Makkachin. I work through some of the better empty hours, but if it’s too crowded, she’ll end up trying to play with some dog who doesn’t want to play, and some owner will yell at me for her.” Viktor rolled his eyes. Yuuri laughed, imagining the big poodle trampling another dog the size of Vicchan to play and the owner throwing a fit. “Can I offer you lunch? Makkachin and I walk through on our way to lunch, and since she interrupted you and Vicchan, it’s the least I can do,” Viktor offered.

“Oh,” Yuuri said, astounded. He knew it was unreasonable, but his mind immediately went to how amazing it would be to be dating the man who was in front of him. Sweet, with a sweet dog, so incredibly talented and so beyond Yuuri’s type. Even being his friend seemed like something that shouldn’t possibly be allowed. Still, he found himself nodding. He was walking Vicchan before lunch, too, so it would be rude not to take the offer. “You really don’t have to, but I’d be happy to join you.”

“I insist!” Viktor smiled back at Yuuri. “Is the cafe in the park good? They let Makkachin sit with me when we’re on the patio, so it’s nice to be able to bring her there with me. And then you can keep with your Vicchan, too,” Viktor explained, and Yuuri wondered how anyone could possibly say no to that bright, excited smile.

“That sounds fine,” Yuuri agreed. He’d been to the cafe before with his parents, and he knew that Vicchan would appreciate the scraps and slightly longer walk. He had to do a lot of homework, so he might as well take a slightly longer lunch.

“Perfect!” Viktor exclaimed, grinning at Yuuri and starting to walk in that direction. “Makka, ready for lunch?” he called out, and his dog immediately barked in response. Yuuri wondered if Viktor had taught her that.

It was adorable if he had.

They made it to the cafe after a short walk, and Viktor walked in and requested a table for two. They looked at the two of them and immediately made up a table on the patio and Yuuri smiled in response, sitting down and tying Vicchan’s leash around his chair so he could sniff around the nearby area but not get too far.

He took the menu but didn’t take long to look at it. He met up with his family for brunch at the cafe fairly often, so he knew what he’d like there. He looked across at Viktor instead, who was saying something softly to Makkachin before looking up at him.

“Oh, you know what you want?” Viktor asked in surprise, smiling at Yuuri. “I didn’t know you’d been here!”

“I get brunch with my parents every week, and Vicchan likes being able to eat with me,” Yuuri explained, looking down at his dog. He made almost all of his decisions based on what his dog would like. It was a good way to live his life.

“Perfect!” Viktor smiled. “It’s not far from work, so I like to take Makka on a walk. They’ve always got quick service, for when I have time to not just take something back to the office.”

“You work hard hours, then?” Yuuri asked.

Viktor nodded. “Meetings all day. I work long days sometimes to make sure that I get work done. I love my job, but I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me. Makes it more interesting that way!” He smiled, looking across to Yuuri. “What do you do?”

“Oh, I’m… in school,” Yuuri answered, shrugging his shoulders. “And I work at a coffee shop on the side to fill up some of my spare time. Not that there’s really that much time to fill.”

“Oh, what shop? My regular place closed, I’d love to try somewhere new!” Viktor exclaimed, leaning forward. Yuuri smiled, shocked that he seemed so genuinely interested in such a normal conversation.

“Life, Love, and Lattes,” Yuuri answered. The shop’s name was cheesy, but Yuuri couldn’t help but love it. “It’s fairly new, we opened up… about a year ago? I always do work there, even when I’m not working, the food and coffee are both good!”

“Ooh. I’ll remember that one, then!” Viktor excitedly typed it into his phone and he set it back down after he had. “There are only chain stores around here, and they’re _fine_ , but they’re always so busy.”

“Yeah. The shop’s doing well, but we don’t usually get the long lines unless it’s really early or the lunch rush,” Yuuri answered. “I’m there most days, either working or studying, so I can give you recommendations for good drinks, too!”

The waiter then came over and Viktor leaned forward to order his food, smiling at Yuuri and motioning for him to do the same. After he had, Viktor leaned back in his chair. His eyes lit up at something behind Yuuri and Yuuri turned his head, laughing when he saw the dogs. Vicchan was laying next to Makkachin, perched on top of her paws.

Yuuri turned at the sound of a camera flutter and raised his eyebrows until he saw that Viktor had taken a picture of the dogs. “Can I post this on her Instagram?” he asked, holding up the phone so Yuuri could see the picture. “What’s yours, can I tag you?”

“Mine’s k_yuuri,” Yuuri answered, “I don’t really check it that often, but go ahead. Can you also text me the picture?”

“Of course! Here, let me post this, then I can give you my phone number!” Viktor typed up a caption quickly and Yuuri saw the notification pop up on his phone (“ **makkachin-n** tagged you in a post”). He quickly deleted it and handed his phone for Viktor to give him his contact information.

 **to viktor:** this is yuuri!

 **from viktor:** yay! [img attached: Makkachin and Vicchan lying together at the cafe.]

Viktor sent his text right before their food came and he looked excitedly at the plates set in front of them, taking a couple pictures and typing more on his phone (Did he have an account for food, too?). They ate in relative silence, other than Viktor every so often exclaiming how much he liked the food. Yuuri laughed when he saw Viktor also sneaking scraps of his food to the dogs begging beneath the table.

The waiter brought over the bill as they were eating the last of their food, and Viktor immediately leaned forward to take it from them, pulling his wallet from the pocket of his dress pants. “Please, let me pay,” Viktor insisted, grabbing the bill before the waiter even had the chance to set it onto the table. He flashed a smile up to them, not even opening it before he pulled out his credit card.

“Really, don’t worry about it,” Yuuri said, trying to reach out to take it from him. “You really don’t have to buy me a meal just because your dog ran into me. I can pay for myself.” He reached out to take the bill, but Viktor shook his head.

“It’s no trouble, really!” he continued, grabbing a credit card out of his wallet and immediately sliding it across the table for the waitress. “It’s really no problem. We can go somewhere else next time, and you can take up the tab,” Viktor promised.

Yuuri dropped the conversation, his heart fluttering at the promise of ‘next time’.

“I have to get back to work, but I hope it’s not too much to assume we can talk again?” Viktor added after a moment, clutching his phone in his hand. “Makkachin clearly likes Vicchan, and I’d love to get to know you more.”

“Sure,” Yuuri said. “As long as you make sure to send me your best pictures of her.”

“I would dream of nothing else!” Viktor exclaimed, laughing. “It was nice to meet you, Yuuri. Good luck with schoolwork! I’ll see you soon.” He stood up, sliding his wallet back into his pocket and grabbing his phone. “Makkachin, work!” Viktor called out, and she perked up, rushing to his side. He petted her head and waved before walking away.

Yuuri went back to his apartment to study for his test, texting Viktor sporadically throughout the day. Apparently, Makkachin was allowed into his office, so he texted pictures of her laying across the room or sprawled across his papers.

Yuuri found out that Viktor worked for Nikiforov Co., a big technology business that had gotten super popular in the past couple of years and was one of the top companies in the world now. He didn’t specify his role, but kept saying that he was in boring meetings day in and out. Yuuri sent him back pity pictures of Vicchan laying across his textbook.

He went to bed stressed, because he had a big engineering test later on. He woke up early to start to study but quickly got frustrated with it, sighing and grabbing his apron. He threw his books into his backpack and walked out to Life, Love, and Lattes.

“I didn’t think you’d be in today, Yuuri,” Kenjirou said, smiling brightly. “You have a big exam, don’t you?” Yuuri tended to skip shifts where he had tests later in the day, stressing over studying for them. This test was for one of his major level classes, though, and if he kept stressing over it, he was going to forget everything that he knew.

“I figured it was easier to come in. Gave me something else to think about for a few hours,” Yuuri answered. He could always leave early if this turned out to be a bad idea. “It’s better than spending all day stressing about the exam.” Yuuri shrugged, grabbing his apron and tying it in front of his shirt. He snatched his nametag off of the board, laughing at the small poodle that Phichit must have doodled on it before Yuuri had come in today. He usually worked the morning shifts, but Yuuri only took opening shifts if he took early classes.

No need to come into the cafe early if he didn’t have another reason to wake up that early.

“Glad to see you here! Do you want register or bar?” Kenjirou asked and Yuuri shrugged.

“Pick whichever you’d rather have,” he answered, rubbing his hands over his eyes and tugging out his phone, putting on music while they were working on setting up the store. Once they opened, he tugged his headphones out of his ear, smiling at Minami.

He stood behind the register, going quickly through the first rush of orders. It slowed down after an hour or so, and Yuuri leaned against the counter, pulling out his book. The bell would tell him if someone else came in, and they were all welcome to work on other stuff while they were at work - they had plenty of other stuff to do, after all. After what felt like no time at all, the bell of the door chimed and Yuuri lowered the book, setting it back off to the side.

“Good morning!” the customer trilled before Yuuri could, and he blinked. That voice was familiar...

Yuuri looked up and saw Viktor standing there. His eyes widened but he smiled nonetheless. “I didn’t think you’d come in so soon!”

“I told you I needed a new place to get coffee,” Viktor laughed. He leaned over the counter, looking at the board behind Yuuri. “Order me your favorite?”

“Kenjirou makes a great vanilla latte. I know it’s pretty basic, but I usually get it,” Yuuri answered, smiling up at Viktor.

“Perfect! How much?” He pulled out his wallet but Yuuri shook his head.

“On the house this time,” Yuuri answered, smiling across to Viktor. “To thank you for giving us a shot. If you like it, you can come back and try something else.”

“Are you sure?” Viktor looked worried and Yuuri nodded his head again. Giving him a free drink wasn’t going to break the shop. “Then thank you.” He smiled, still pulling the right amount (more, Yuuri noticed, seeing the handful of bills Viktor grabbed) out of his wallet and sliding it into the tip jar.

“Not bringing Makkachin today?” Yuuri asked instead of mentioning the money. There were no other customers coming in since the big morning rush had ended, so he felt fine making small talk with Viktor.

“I’ve got offsite meetings for most of this morning, so I’m picking her up after lunch. I’ve got a friend looking after her for the morning,” Viktor answered with a smile.

“Not allowed home alone?” Vicchan was currently home alone, but Yuuri only had work today, so he was planning to leave in a few hours to go check on him. He lived close enough to campus that he got to go home between classes to make sure that Vicchan was doing alright and to spend some time with him. It was nice; Yuuri didn’t like leaving him alone.

“She is, but I prefer to leave her with someone else.” Kenjirou called Viktor’s name and Viktor walked over to grab his drink. “I’d love to stay and talk, but I’ve gotta get to these meetings. I’ll text you later!” Viktor called.

“Who is he?” Kenjirou immediately rushed to Yuuri and Yuuri laughed, his cheeks turning red as he thought about it.

“I met him at the park yesterday! His dog almost ran over me and Vicchan and we got lunch. He’s just a friend!” He held his hands up with a laugh, grabbing his textbook again.

“He’s cute,” Kenjirou called out, going back to cleaning the machine.

Yuuri blushed red.

Yeah, he _knew_ that.

The next few weeks passed in the same way, with Viktor popping in nearly every day for a drink. Yuuri kept buying them for him, but insisted it was someone in the line who was paying it forward every day so he didn’t have to go through the embarrassment of explaining to Viktor why he was buying his drink every day.

They also texted nearly constantly about the dogs. Viktor always had some life update about Makkachin.

 **from viktor:** isn’t her new bow cute!!! <3 [img attached: Makkachin laying on Viktor’s couch, a bright blue bow with a familiar criss-cross pattern on it]

 **to viktor:** ah, it’s super cute! is it a giacometti?

 **from viktor:** you know the brand? christophe is a good friend of mine, i love all of his designs!

 **from viktor:** only the best for my makka <3

 **to viktor:** yeah! my dad bought vicchan a giacometti collar last year [img attached: Vicchan sitting on Yuuri’s lap in his parent’s house, his collar a light green color with the same criss-cross pattern as Makkachin’s new bow, a common and recognizable Giacometti pattern]

 **to viktor:** i was considering getting him a bandana from the new collection, maybe i can get the same as makkachin and they can match!

 **from viktor:** we can go together!!! we can go shopping for the dogs! that way we can pick their matching clothes together! i can drive you there if you’d like

 **to viktor:** it’s not that far from my apartment, i can walk! I’ve been meaning to get vicchan some new toys, anyway. and i’m running out of treats. i might give him too many :(

 **from viktor:** there are never too many treats for such a sweet puppy!

 **from viktor:** we could go to the place on main? they don’t stock giacomettis, but they’ve got a lot of cute stuff! we could get a lot more for the price of one giacometti bandana :)

 **to viktor:** oh, sure! that works

 **to viktor:** when are you free?

They met up on Friday after Viktor got off work. Yuuri cancelled his shift at the coffee shop since he was supposed to work closing that night so he’d have enough time to hang out with Viktor. He walked to the store that Viktor had suggested and Viktor showed up a few moments later, Makkachin’s leash wrapped around his hand. “Yuuri!” he exclaimed excitedly before launching into a story about his day at work.

As they went through the shop, Viktor picked up almost every piece of doggy clothing that they had, laughing about how cute they would look on Vicchan or Makkachin. Through their walk, they ended up with five new outfits for both of them, but they were adorable and matching and Yuuri knew that Vicchan wouldn’t try to squirm out of any of the pieces that they had picked out together.

Yuuri also picked Vicchan a few new toys, even though he’d probably pick out better ones when he went to their normal store to get his food. Viktor added a few for Makkachin as well, and their cart was soon overflowing with dog toys as they approached the cash register.

“I can get it!” Viktor stepped forward, pulling out a sleek back credit card that Yuuri knew meant he had a _lot_ of money and he wasn’t afraid to flaunt it. He let Viktor pay but grabbed two of the gourmet dog treats by the cash register, the kind that Vicchan liked best.

“Fine, but I’m buying them treats,” he answered, pulling out his own card and handing it off to the cashier with the treats.

“Have you had those before?” Viktor eyed them and Yuuri nodded.

“Vicchan loves them. Our normal store doesn’t sell this flavor, but I’m sure he’ll still love it. Hopefully Makkachin does, too,” Yuuri answered, taking the bag from the cashier and signing his name, tucking his wallet back into his pocket.

They walked out of the store and to the park, sitting down and feeding the dogs the treats. Vicchan immediately ate his up and Makkachin enjoyed hers as well. Yuuri smiled and Viktor immediately leaned down, getting to work dressing them up in their matching clothes.

After an impromptu doggy fashion show, Viktor looked down at his phone, seemingly pleased with the results. “These are perfect, Yuuri! Look how cute,” Viktor laughed, flipping through the pictures. Yuuri leaned in close to look over the pictures and marvelled at how close he was to Viktor and how nice that felt.

Yuuri was _very_ quickly falling for Viktor. He was kind and smart and _gorgeous_ and the way that he treated the dogs made his heart melt endlessly. He didn’t go a day without a new picture of Makkachin since they had first met, and Yuuri loved it. His phone was full of pictures of both of their dogs since Viktor also asked for endless pictures of Vicchan - something Yuuri was happy to supply.

Viktor especially liked to text pictures of Makkachin during long boring meetings, and Yuuri was happy to see the pictures. He was out of town for the week on business, as he’d explained a thousand times, so Yuuri got a picture of Makkachin on Viktor’s desk when he was making his dinner.

 **to yuuri:** she’s bored at work :( [img attached: Makkachin sitting under Viktor’s desk with her hair tied up in a bright pink bow. From the angle of the image, it was obvious that her bow matched his tie.]

Yuuri was about to close out of the image before he spotted something peculiar. He knew that Viktor worked at Nikiforov Co., he had a sticker of the logo on his laptop and his phone. Seeing his name tag with the logo was far from surprising. It was that Makkachin was covering only enough of Viktor’s nametag to make it a little unreadable - but it was enough for Yuuri to be confused.

From what he could see, Viktor’s nametag appeared to read ‘Viktor Nikif - ‘.

The CEO of Nikiforov Co. was named Viktor Nikiforov, but Yuuri had never considered it before. Sure, Viktor acted like he had money to spare, and was clearly a businessman from the way that he dressed and the constant pictures in his office, but was he Viktor _Nikiforov_?

 _Viktor Nikiforov_ , who had made the list of most influential men in business for as many years as Yuuri had known to look. Who had become manager at 23 and opened his own company by 25, a millionaire before he was even 30. Who was known friends with Christophe Giacometti, because Giacometti used pictures of his standard poodle in a lot of his advertisements.

That had to be Viktor, right? There was no way that Viktor happened to be _some other_ Viktor Nikif who worked at Nikiforov Co.. _His_ Viktor, who had the world’s cutest poodle who wore a seemingly endless supply of Giacometti bows and ate only the most high class dog snacks. The Viktor who was almost always coming from work, wearing some of the most expensive, designer business suits that Yuuri had ever seen.

It had to be him.

 **to viktor:** hey this is a weird question but… are you a nikiforov?

 **from viktor:** what?

 **from viktor:** oh, my nametag! i thought you knew, since you knew where i worked, haha, i guess there are a lot of viktors. i’m viktor nikiforov!

 **from viktor:** i’m the CEO! that’s how i managed to get makka access to my office. did you not know???

 **to viktor:** i… i hadn’t really thought about it, no.

 **to viktor:** you’re like… a billionaire, then.

 **from viktor:** only million! not that ‘million’ is a small amount or anything…

 **from viktor:** i figured you knew, i’m sorry! ‘viktor’ working at nikiforov co. seemed like it was obvious, especially since i don’t… really… blend in at all haha i’m sorry!!

 **from viktor:** i’ve gotten so used to people recognizing me, or my name, i didn’t even consider you might not know! i’m sorry!!

 **to viktor:** it should have been obvious, but i didn’t see it

 **to viktor:** no need to apologize! it’s who you are!!! you’re super successful…

 **to viktor:** i should have seen it, really you’re charismatic and kind and obviously brilliant of course you’re viktor NIKIFOROV

 **from viktor:** so… who i am isn’t a problem?

 **to viktor:** you think i’d stop being your friend because you run a successful business?

 **from viktor:** you seemed surprised when i said it!

 **to viktor:** surprised doesn’t mean upset. i still want you to send me pictures of makkachin.

 **from viktor:** good! <3 [img attached: Makkachin chewing on her bone under Viktor’s desk.]

Viktor _Nikiforov_ was one of the richest, most successful businessmen of the modern day. He owned a company

He should have seen it, really. Viktor Nikiforov was known for his unique appearance and love for his dog. Yuuri had never seen any pictures of him, but read plenty of articles that mentioned Nikiforov was young and stood out in any crowd.

They never said how _hot_ he was. Viktor’s identity changed _nothing_ about how much Yuuri had become infatuated with him - it maybe made it worse. Viktor was adorable, and he took great care of his dog, and he clearly loved her so much, and he wanted to see Yuuri’s dog too.

How could he possibly judge Viktor for not telling him who he was?

Viktor had at least _thought_ that Yuuri knew who he was, and he had no reason to hide the fact that he was rich and successful. It made sense, too, why he kept insisting that he bought all of their meals. Especially if he just assumed that Yuuri was an average college student, struggling through scholarship and working at a coffee shop to earn some change on the side, Viktor would want to help him out, considering _he_ had more than enough money for it.

He grabbed his phone, deleting the notifications with texts from his parents - he was going to call them later tonight, anyway. He instead opened his conversation with Viktor, smiling again at the picture of Makkachin. Yuuri looked down at Vicchan and snapped a picture, sending it to Viktor with a matching heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i always appreciate kudos/comments/bookmarks if you'd like to tell me what you thought!
> 
> the second chapter should be up next thursday; it's already finished <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to everyone who read <3 and thanks again for the amazing prompt and awesome event!

To start off, Viktor found it very important to get something straight: Yuuri was adorable, and Viktor wanted to date him.

This was a relatively known conclusion: Viktor had thought that Yuuri was cute from the second that he met him, and he had become even more interested in him after they’d had a few conversations. He was shy, so much different than Viktor himself, but he opened up quickly, excitedly talking about all of the things that he loved. He also had an adorable dog, and that was a pretty good push for Viktor to immediately be enamoured with him. But,  _ now _ , after all of their times out with the dogs, and Yuuri knowing who he was?

Viktor was in love.

He wasn’t really sure if you could be in love with someone that you weren’t even dating, but he was in love, and he  _ really _ needed an excuse to ask Yuuri out. Everything about Yuuri was exactly what Viktor had been looking for. He was kind, smart, hardworking. He was beautiful, he loved dogs, and he didn’t care about Viktor’s money at all.

Honestly, Viktor was surprised that he hadn’t  _ accidentally  _ asked Yuuri out yet. He was sort of hoping that all of their trips to the parks or cafes would stand as a hint and Yuuri would decide that he wanted to date Viktor, too, but that wasn’t working as far as he could tell, so he had to be more direct.

As he walked into the coffee shop on Saturday, Yuuri wasn’t working, but Viktor saw him at a table, schoolwork spread out in front of him. Viktor waved at him, grinning at the wave he got back before walking up to the line. He waited until his turn and then ordered his drink, pulling out his wallet just to be waved down. “Someone’s already paid for it,” the employee said, winking at someone behind Viktor.

Viktor turned his head, but all he saw was Yuuri with his head down, blushing. Like always. Or, if Yuuri was working, he just refused to make eye contact. Viktor slid the amount the coffee cost (and a few dollars extra) out of his wallet and into the tip jar before moving to take his drink, thanking the person working.

Maybe this was his chance. Yuuri was at least  _ somewhat _ interested in Viktor, if he kept buying his coffee. No way someone who was at school and work as much as Yuuri was should be taking the financial hit of a drink that Viktor could  _ easily  _ handle every single day. He had to have some sort of interest in buying Viktor’s coffee, and Viktor just hoped that it was the same interest that he had in Yuuri. He held the coffee in one hand, walking from the counter to the table that he’d already seen Yuuri at, setting his coffee down.

“You know, you could talk to me instead of always silently paying for my drink,” Viktor said, sliding into the table across from Yuuri. Yuuri looked up at him with wide eyes, ducking his head back down into his book with a blush. “We do know each other, after all. And I like you for more than just your dog, as cute as Vicchan is.”

“How did you know it was me?” he asked, fiddling with the pages of his pristine textbook. He slowly slid it shut, pushing it off to the side with his notebooks and pens.

“Who else is here every morning you work, Yuuri? And then all of the times you’re not working, too. Sometimes you’re the only person in here when I come.” Viktor laughed, setting his hands against his chin to prop his head up. He stared across the table at Yuuri, trying to get a read on him, but he never could. Viktor knew that he was in school, and he was studying engineering. That he spent most of his money on his dog (an investment that Viktor  _ definitely _ understood). “You don’t have to, you know,” he added. “I’d be happy to talk to you even if I pay for my own coffee. I can more than afford it.”

“So can I,” Yuuri mumbled, though his cheeks were still ablaze. “I  _ wanted _ to, Vitya! Because…” he trailed off, glancing away, like the wall was suddenly much more interesting than the man in front of him.

“Because of what?” Viktor prodded, biting his lip to keep back a smile.

Yuuri looked at him, bewildered, clearly trying to find some way to avoid this topic. But, apparently, he didn’t see a way out, because he ducked his head down again and muttered, “Because you’re cute.”

“You think I’m cute!” Viktor exclaimed excitedly, glad that his coffee cup was empty because otherwise he would have just upended the entire contents of it onto his shirt. “ _ Yuuri _ , you could have just told me that.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Yuuri groaned, bringing his hands up to cover his face instead.

“Why not?” Yuuri was clearly embarrassed, and Viktor should probably stop pushing him, but he wanted to know. Why couldn’t Yuuri just admit to Viktor being cute, and that’s why he bought the coffee? Viktor (obviously) also thought that Yuuri was cute, so that could have sped this along for both of them if he’d just admitted it. “I think that you’re cute too, Yuuri. You had nothing to be afraid of! Plus, we’ve been going places together for months now. The only difference between that and dates is the word.”

Yuuri slowly moved his hands from his face, his eyes wide with shock and excitement, looking from Viktor to the empty cup of coffee and back again. “You think I’m cute?” he whispered, and his awed voice was adorable. “Vitya,” he started before shaking his head, covering his face with his hands again. “You’re so out of my league. You’re brilliant, you got out of school early, you’ve got an amazingly established career, one of the  _ top businessmen _ despite being half of most of their age, you’re incredibly attractive, and charismatic, and you’ve got a cute dog… You just… I’m just  _ Yuuri _ , who buys your coffee and is trying to finish school.”

“Yuuri,” Viktor whispered, reaching out to take his hands. He expected Yuuri to pull away, but he let Viktor take his hands into his own. Viktor smiled, holding them gently between them as he looked up to meet Yuuri’s eyes. “You’re not just Yuuri. It took me time to get to where I was too. All of  _ this _ is new, the last year or two.” Viktor motioned around himself at his words, smiling at Yuuri. “Also, your dog is just as adorable, and  _ you _ ’re attractive and charismatic, too!”

“I’m not. You can say a lot about me, Vitya, but charismatic? I spilled coffee down my shirt the first time you came when I was working bar,” Yuuri reminded him, and Viktor laughed softly.

He squeezed Yuuri’s hands, explaining, “There are different kinds of charisma. When you talk, Yuuri, you attract the attention of everyone in the room, even with a giant coffee stain on your shirt.” Viktor then thoughtfully placed a finger against his lips, eyes sparkling. “Now that we’ve established that… how would you like to  _ go out _ tomorrow with me?” Viktor asked before he could stop himself. That was good, though. He wanted to go on a date with Yuuri, he wanted to go on a thousand dates with Yuuri.

“How is that any different than normal, Vitya?” Yuuri asked, before his eyes brightened in understanding. He looked down at their joined hands, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Finally, he added, “Like… a date?”

Viktor nodded, smiling brightly at him. Yuuri looked excited, and that’s all that he could have hoped for as a reaction. “You could come to my apartment,” he said. “Or we can grab some food, or see a movie, and then take Makkachin on a walk? You can bring Vicchan! I guess the dogs don’t have to be a part of our date, but I… if you want them to be. So it can be like normal.”

“I’d love that,” Yuuri said. “Maybe we can go to a movie, and then we can play with Makkachin and Vicchan for a little while?” he suggested, and Viktor nodded.

“I can – “ he started to respond, but his watch started to beep, indicating that he had to go in to work before he missed his meeting. He frowned, tapping the screen of the watch to make the noise stop before looking up at Yuuri. “I can look up movie times later. Just text me if there’s one in particular you want to see. I can’t wait.” He brought Yuuri’s hand to his mouth, kissing it softly and grinning at the way that he lit up bright red before he stood. “I’ve got to head to work, and I’m sure you’d like to get back to studying. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye, Vitya. I can’t wait for our date,” Yuuri answered, smiling up at him. Viktor’s heart skipped a couple of beats, and he nearly forgot to pick up his laptop as he left the coffeeshop, staring at Yuuri leaning over his textbooks to finish his homework.

He practically skipped the rest of the way to the office. He had a  _ date _ with Yuuri.

Viktor got into work with only a few moments left before his meeting was supposed to start, and he pulled up the call, sliding on his headset before leaning back in his desk chair. He couldn’t zone out too much since he was in charge, but he couldn’t help but daydream a couple times during the three hour long meeting, imagining all of the different ways that his date with Yuuri could go. He had to put his phone facedown onto his desk to make sure that he didn’t get distracted texting Yuuri during the meeting.

He cared about his work, but work was the last thing on his mind right now. Right now, all he could think of was Yuuri, and the look on his face when he said that he was cute, and when he agreed to go on a date with him. Viktor looked across the room to Makkachin sleeping on her dog bed and he smiled. His dog had given him the opportunity to get to know the cute, kind barista and ask him out on a date.

_ Finally _ , the meeting ended, and Viktor took his headset off, calling Makkachin over to him. She came excitedly, and he dug a treat out of his desk, offering it to her. She gladly took it, resting her head in his lap. He stroked her curly fur, cooing softly at her as he pulled up what he had to work on that day.

When lunchtime came around, he considered going back to the coffeeshop to see Yuuri, but he knew that Yuuri had been busy when he left, so he should probably just eat at the office or somewhere nearby. He clipped Makkachin’s leash to her collar, walking her out to the nearby café that let him keep her on the patio with him. As he ate, he pulled out his phone, smiling at the texts from Yuuri.

**from yuuri:** hey vitya! i just looked up movies that were out and any look fine, really. i’d prefer not the horror one, but if you want to see it, go for it. there’s a romcom that comes out this weekend that looks decent, if you want to see that?

**from yuuri:** also good luck with your meeting! give makka my love :)

**to yuuri:** thank you!!! :) makkachin appreciates the thought [img attached: Makkachin laying at Viktor’s feet, chewing on a soft toy he’d brought for her.]

**to yuuri:** i just looked up movie times for the romcom, that sounds good!! here’s the schedule for times in nearby theaters. idk if you work this weekend, so you can choose one that fits your schedule :) [img attached: A screenshot of movie times for the upcoming weekend.]

**from yuuri:** she’s so cute i don’t understand how anyone wouldn’t love her !!!

**from yuuri:** i don’t work this weekend, so any time works! maybe the 2 on saturday? we can meet up for lunch before, if you want? :)

**to yuuri:** sounds great!! i’ll get our tickets, you find somewhere for us to eat!

**from yuuri:** okay!! see you then, viktor

It was too early to send Yuuri a heart emoji, right? Viktor closed out of the conversation, smiling to himself as he pulled out his credit card to buy their movie tickets, waiting until the receipt came through to his email before he slid his phone into his pocket, digging into his lunch.

The rest of the day of work went the same as any other, and Yuuri didn’t work at the coffeeshop on Fridays, so Viktor had to live on only texting him until they met up for their date on Saturday. Yuuri wasn’t around much at all on Fridays, though, because he worked at his family’s business, and took what free time he had to study. Still, he texted Viktor a few times throughout the day with pictures around his family home and of Vicchan.

It was probably for the better that he couldn’t text much while Viktor was at work. He had no doubt in his mind that, in this moment, Yuuri would easily be able to distract him all day.

Finally, Saturday came around. They’d decided that Yuuri would come over around 11 so they had time for a quick walk and lunch before the movie. Viktor excitedly opened the door when Yuuri knocked and Makkachin knocked both Yuuri and Vicchan over when she realized who had come over. Viktor laughed, calming her down before letting Yuuri into the apartment.

“She just knew we were pushing off our walk, she didn’t know why,” Viktor laughed. He closed the door behind the two of them. Yuuri set his bag of Vicchan’s stuff down, smiling up at VIktor. Viktor finally took a second to look at him and had to remind himself to breathe. Yuuri was dressed in a soft button down shirt, tucked into his perfectly fit jeans. The clothes nearly looked designer the way they clung to Yuuri’s body in all of the right places.

“Vicchan also got excited when he realized we were coming close to your apartment,” Yuuri responded, ducking his head down to look at the smaller dog, who was circling his legs and barking excitedly at Makkachin. He couldn’t get far since he was still on his leash, but Makkachin didn’t go far enough away that that was necessary.

Viktor laughed. “I’ll go grab her leash,” he responded, glancing at Makkachin before deciding she wouldn’t likely be any trouble and walking off to grab her leash from its hook, coming forward to snap it onto her collar. She was surprisingly calm getting leashed, since she knew that it meant they got to go on a walk.

He opened the door again and Yuuri stepped out of the apartment. Viktor paused to lock the door before leading him downstairs, opening the front door for him. Once they were out of the building, Yuuri stepped closer to him and took his hand into his own. Viktor melted a little at the thought that he was  _ holding hands _ with Yuuri.

Makkachin and Vicchan led the walk for the most part, barking at each other and knowing the way that they were supposed to go after so many walks together. Viktor could focus on looking over at Yuuri, at the soft blush on his cheeks, and their hands joined between them.

Wow, fuck, he had to survive through this for an entire meal and movie, too. He hadn’t thought through the fact that dating Yuuri implied that he was going to get to be so much closer to Yuuri. He probably should have thought about that.

As they walked, they made smalltalk, Yuuri mostly talking about his classes or ridiculous customers who had come into the shop. Viktor listened with rapt attention, loving everything that Yuuri said. How could he possibly think that he was out of Viktor’s league?

When they finally got back to his apartment, Yuuri took Vicchan off of his leash at the same time that Viktor did it for Makkachin. The two dogs immediately raced to the couch and wrestled each other, barking excitedly.

“I can lock him in a crate if you think they’ll make a mess while we’re gone,” Yuuri fretted.

“No, no, they’ll be fine. They just need to calm down. Makkachin knows she has to be good, and I’m sure she’ll be able to keep Vicchan entertained,” Viktor laughed. If they were lucky, the two would end up napping after they’d tugged each other around on the walk, and then just play for an hour or so until they got back. They were so incredibly lucky that the dogs loved each other so much.

Viktor turned back to Yuuri and beamed at him, offering him a hand. “Are you ready for lunch?” he asked, his cheeks heating up when Yuuri easily slid his fingers into Viktor’s again. Viktor squeezed his hand softly, grabbing his keys and wallet.

“I am! I hope the movie is okay,” Yuuri answered, tugging on the edge of his shirt, nervous. Viktor smiled softly, leading him from the apartment.

“Any movie would be good with you there, Yuuri,” Viktor answered honestly, locking the door behind them and walking out of his apartment, easily leading the way to the restaurant. They ate quickly, and Yuuri described his schoolwork as they were eating. Viktor listened eagerly to every word that he had to say. Yuuri was  _ so smart _ , and he was going to go so many places once he started to work. He was going to change the world.

After they finished lunch, they held hands on the way to the movie theater, getting there just early enough to grab some snacks and their seats. The movie wasn’t great, but it was decent. Well, at least, Viktor was pretty sure it was fine.

He was more focused on the way that Yuuri leaned against him throughout the movie, just barely touching. In a way that reminded him so thoroughly that this was a  _ date _ . How amazing was that?

As the movie ended, they walked out of the theater together, Yuuri lightly touching him at all moments. Viktor couldn’t help but wonder if he could be blushing permanently. It felt like he might be. Everything Yuuri did surprised him in a new and perfect way. If this was what it was like to date Yuuri, Viktor never wanted to stop. He could live eternally on dates with Yuuri.

“I don’t want to go home yet,” Yuuri murmured against his shoulder, looking up at him. “Do you want to get ice cream, or something? My treat.”

“Sure.” Viktor was in full agreement that he did not want to leave Yuuri quite yet. Yuuri smiled, shyly taking Viktor’s hand and leading him from the theater, apparently with an ice cream shop already in mind. Viktor followed, marvelling at the soft feeling of Yuuri’s hand in his. Was it possible to be in love just with holding hands?

When they reached the ice cream shop, there was a small line, and Yuuri dug out his wallet in the time that it took. Viktor closely examined the menu, deciding what he would eat. As they approached the front of the line, Yuuri’s phone started to buzz. He ignored it at first, but picked it up after a moment, glancing at the caller ID.

“Sorry,” Yuuri said, distracted, “I’ve gotta take this call - here, just get me a sundae, I’ll be right back.” Yuuri handed off the credit card and answered the phone call, stepping aside.

Viktor watched after him, ordering their ice creams and handing over the credit card. He leaned against the wall as they waited, flipping the card over in his hand. He paused when it flipped upright, the light catching on the name of the card.

Yuuri Katsuki.

Yuuri walked back over and Viktor looked up at him, his eyes wide. Yuuri looked confused for a second before he saw the way the card was angled, and he reached out to grab it, but it was too late. “Katsuki,” Viktor whispered. Yuuri slowly nodded his head, his eyes fixed firmly on his feet. “Like… Toshiya Katsuki?” he questioned. It wasn’t a common last name around here, and he couldn’t help but assume. If he was wrong, then he was sure that Yuuri got the question more than just once, and they would let it go. Yuuri curled in a little on himself with the mention, though, nodding his head.

“My dad,” Yuuri answered, not looking up at Viktor. Toshiya Katsuki and his wife Hiroko ran a successful hotel and had a restaurant chain on the side that had earned them  _ millions _ of dollars. They had almost singlehandedly restored their hometown of Hasetsu to a flourishing city, and it was rumored that their son had started a business of his own, though they refused to comment what it was so that he could make his own success. “I…” he bit his lip, and Viktor realized that he was  _ nervous _ . He was worried what Viktor would think of him.

“I had no idea,” Viktor said, but he took Yuuri’s hands into his own. “I assumed you were a normal college student, but it was no big deal at all for you to cover my coffee or our lunch,” Viktor laughed softly. “I’m not upset.”

“I run the coffeeshop,” Yuuri blurted. “I’m studying engineering, but I started the coffeeshop when I thought I was going to go into business like the rest of my family. I love the shop and would never close it, but… covering your coffee was literally nothing but flirting, since I run the business. I wanted to make my own way through college, like everyone else was. My loans are only to my parents, but even those are mostly paid off. They offered to do everything, but I wanted to prove myself.” Yuuri was blushing now, and Viktor leaned over to him, kissing him softly on the lips.

“What kind of engineering? Why a coffee shop? Tell me everything,” Viktor murmured, but Yuuri didn’t answer. Yuuri stared at him in shock before wrapping his arms around his neck, kissing him deeply in return. It was sweet, the taste of ice cream and the slightest remains of the buttery popcorn. Viktor closed his eyes, letting himself fall deep into the kiss.

He supposed he could learn all about Yuuri’s life later.

There were much more important things to focus on right now, like the feeling of Yuuri’s lips on his own, and his tongue curiously pressing against the seam of Viktor’s lips. 

_ Much _ more important things.

Like how much he loved Yuuri Katsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks as always for kudos/comments/bookmarks <3 they're super appreciated i love to hear what you think!
> 
> my blog is [yoyoplisetsky](http://yoyoplisetsky.tumblr.com/) <3 come check me out for fic updates, sometimes other little writing things, and other general yoi content <3


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